Nearly two thirds of drivers broke the speed limit on Spout Hill Road in Sykesville last week, according to Sykesville police.
The Sykesville Police Department has been monitoring driver speeds “to identify locations where speed enforcement efforts will be focused,” by deploying two radar display trailers, which aim to deter speeding in addition to recording data, according to a Facebook post from the department. Sykesville police began posting speed-monitoring results on Facebook on May 2 at the request of the town council.
“I determined that there was a need for a mobile radar speed display trailer due to complaints about excessive speed within our town limits,” Sykesville Police Chief Michael Spaulding said in an email on May 22. “The reasoning was to be able to deploy the speed trailer to those locations where we received complaints of speeding to determine if the complaints were legitimate, which would then lead to more effective deployment of our officers to enforce the speed limit in those areas. In addition, it was determined that the mere deployment of the speed trailer would act as a deterrent to speeding.”
A trailer deployed to the 7400 block of Spout Hill Road, between Kalorama Road and First Avenue, recorded northbound drivers breaking the speed limit about 65% of the time from May 15 to May 24.
Of 13,705 vehicles surveyed on the 25 mph road, 8,383 were traveling at 26 to 35 mph, 451 were traveling at 36 to 45 mph, and 11 were traveling at speeds over 46 mph. The average speed recorded was 26.78 mph, making it the first street where police have reported an average vehicle speed above the limit.
Pedestrians hit by a vehicle traveling 30 mph are four times more likely to suffer severe injury or death (a 40% chance) than those struck by a a vehicle traveling 20 mph (10%), according to the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Motorists traveling at 40 mph that strike a pedestrian have an 80% chance of causing severe injury or death.
Sykesville purchased its first speed trailer in 2016 for $7,000, then acquired its second trailer from Westminster in 2022 for $400, which was deployed, “after some minor maintenance and updating,” according to Spaulding.
“Both units have proven to be effective tools in our efforts to calm traffic within our community,” according to Spaulding, “while also providing valuable data to more efficiently deploy our resources.”
Trailers were deployed to locations where police have received citizen complaints about speeding, in the order the complaints were received, according to Spaulding. Each trailer is deployed to a location for the duration of its battery life, brought in for recharging, then used elsewhere. Each trailer’s battery lasts around one to two weeks.
Sykesville residents who wish to submit a complaint may visit https://www.sykesvillepolice.org/
The department’s second speed trailer recorded 25% of drivers breaking the speed limit near Sykesville Middle. The trailer recorded the speed of northbound traffic in the 7300 block of Springfield Avenue, just south of the school May 15 to May 24.
Of 10,230 vehicles surveyed on the 30 mph road, 2,604 were traveling at 31 to 40 mph, 58 were traveling at 41 to 50 mph, and eight were traveling at speeds over 50 mph. The average speed recorded was 22.43 mph.
Baltimore Sun Senior Data Editor Steve Earley contributed to this article.
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